The snow was fresh and crisp, perfect in every way as they trudged through it, ankle deep and numb. Axel wrapped his arms tightly about himself, shuddering against the cold and huffing heavily, his breath no more than a frosted whisper as he shuffled his feet lazily through the snow and flicked his ears back, groaning as Hayner and Seifer started up their argument once more.

"Will you two shut up? I swear, if either of you says one more word I'm gonna bang your heads together so hard you'll switch bodies!" Axel growled, watching as both turned to him, Hayner with a slight smile and Seifer with a scoff.

"Fuck sake kitten, it's just a bit of snow."

Axel growled, cutting Seifer of as he stepped up beside the hitsuji and grabbed his sword threateningly. "Watch your mouth! We aren't on the same side just yet and I'm starting to get real hungry. There's still time to put lamb on the menu."

Seifer glared at him, holding his gaze for a brief moment before he huffed and continued walking, ignoring Hayner as the young Inu jogged to keep up with him. Axel grunted and released the handle of his sword turning to stomp after them slowly before a deep chuckle forced him to look back and raise an eyebrow at Pete. "What?"

The Buta raised his hands up defensively, slightly out of breath as he smiled at the Tora. "Nothin', nothin'." He walked past Axel and the Tora began walking once more, keeping pace with Pete and watching him quizzically.

"No, I wanna know. What's so funny?"

Pete turned to him and gave him a knowing look, stepping over a particularly large fallen log and speaking in a whisper so as not to alarm the two males that were once again arguing in front of them. "You hate being called a kitten." He turned to Axel and laughed at his confused face, trudging through the snow and smiling. "Understandably of course. A man of your birth should defend himself against such an insult. Yet, I fear I have come across more than one occasion that a certain Neko has turned red at your calling of him by such a name."

Axel rolled his eyes and shivered once more, glaring at a lump of snow that fell from a tree on his right with a crunch. "Yeah well, he earned it."

Pete's ears twitched and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How so?"

Axel shrugged and smiled at the memory. "He wouldn't stop squirming. I kept trying to help him and all he did was hiss and shout at me." He let out a laugh. "He doesn't seem to mind."

Pete let his smile fall and frowned. "You would think so, yet I fear something may be about to change. I would advise you not to call him by such a name."

"Wh-"

"Reputation can be as important in war as the men you have fighting for you. Night Crawler seems to have begun earning himself a surpassing reputation with some very powerful people. Your brother and the Neko King to name two. If the leaders of a nation recognise a name you can guarantee the people they guide will come to learn it too." He stopped, pausing and thinking hard before he next spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Your father knew what he was doing the day he ordered Night Crawler to die beneath a public execution."

Axel let his ears prick up at the mention of his father, watching as the Buta King stared up at the sky, a grimace plastered thickly on his face. "What do you mean?"

Pete turned to look at Axel and sighed. "Your father was nothing if not a great and wise man, Axel. The day he sentenced Night Crawler to death he knew it wasn't the Neko he was putting down. It was himself."

Axel growled low in his throat and closed his eyes. "What are you saying? That my dad was suicidal?"

"No, on the contrary I'm saying he was anything but. Think, Axel. Hopefully you're as smart as your father was at your age. Your people; the men, women and children of your great city, they saw Night Crawler break free from his steel bindings in a bout of fire. They saw wyverns and demons and men of every species flock to him to protect him. Cloud's name may not have much weight as of yet, but I would guarantee the names of the infamous Tori prince and his faithful Lieutenant will more than make up for that. And then what of your brother? One of the most elite and dangerous Tora's to be seen since the birth of your race, yet he could not keep one single Neko bound for an execution?" He gave a small smile and watched as Hayner jumped out of a half-hearted punch Seifer threw his way.

"There is much in a name, Axel. I hate to say that you yourself have a fearsome reputation." He turned, raising an eyebrow at Axel's small smile. "My own people have been known to cast your name in fear. You have come across as ruthless, strong, brave, and somewhat sadistic in nature."

Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I dunno about sadistic, but the rest sounds like me." He stopped and looked down at the snow, frowning and sighing heavily. "I've done some pretty awful stuff."

Pete nodded and watched the remorse flicker across Axel's face as he spoke. "Yes, and that's what has gained you your reputation. Now, consider this. Suppose I give you these men you ask for and you manage to regain your kingdom against all odds, and as you sit upon your throne, you at one side of the world and Night Crawler at the other, do you still suppose to call him a Kitten?"

Axel frowned, unsure of what Pete was getting at as he looked at the Buta, his brows furrowed. "What do you mean? I'm taking Roxas with me when I go back. I promised I would."

Pete let out a hollow laugh and shook his head. "You are both still so young. You have much to learn. You are not the only young prince to have discovered the powers of the Wisdom Tree's, Axel. I have one very sacred dying oak within the centre of my own castle. Although it dies with every passing day, I have had the pleasure of having my own fortune told in somewhat great detail. And I have no question in my mind that I am able to make a better understanding of the visions shown than you, seeing as I have been using my own for many years." His eyes sparkled a little and he watched Axel's ears flick upwards, the Tora hanging onto his every word.

"I know that there are many things you and Night Crawler hope to achieve. And I know you both have very different dreams. You of your Kingdom, your home and your people. Night Crawler of his family, his old life and his regrets." He deflated a little and shook his head. "I have asked you to watch over him. He is going to need you sooner than you think, even if he does not know it. Now, let me tell you of my vision, and let me ask you if you come to the same conclusion as me."

He stopped, watching as Seifer threw a snowball, landing it hard against Hayner's face before he sped of through the trees with the young Inu hot on his heels. Turning to Axel, he watched the young Tora stop with him.

"I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to make it brief."

"What do you-" He was broken off as Pete raised a hand and closed his eyes.

"I was thrown into a castle of amber and black. A shadow appeared next to me, confused and unsure of which way to turn." He opened his eyes and crossed his arms, his face stern. "When the shadow lowered his hood white ears became clear even though the face was blurred. Now, this shadow, he was lost. Looking left to right in a sea of amber and black, he ran towards the flames that sprouted behind him." He stopped, let his ears flick backwards and smiled. He knew it wouldn't be long. "Tell me Axel, what do you think that means?"

Axel swallowed hard, his own vision had been a lot less clear, and he wasn't sure if Pete was telling the honest truth. "White ears… you think it was Roxas?"

Pete nodded. "I think Night Crawler was indeed the cloaked figure." He let out a small laugh. "I have failed to see any other white eared Neko's dressed in attire so similar. Now, the amber and black, it clearly stands for the Tora sigil. And the fire…" he stopped, paused and frowned. "I at first thought it stood for yourself, what with you and Night Crawler getting dangerously close. It could only signal that he was playing with fire. But now, after the execution, I wonder if it was perhaps the flames I myself pushed him from when he was atop that podium."

Axel frowned, his ears twitching as in the far distance Hayner and Seifer continued their small snow fight. "You saved him?"

"Of course. If that would have been the end of my vision I would have believed my path in this war to be coming to an end. But it was not. And this is where you come in."

"Me?"

"Yes. I have seen the ending to this war Axel, but I'm afraid I'm not a part of it. My Kingdom is going to fall into safe hands, but I'm afraid the person they belong to will not be safe." He frowned and broke off, looking through the trees and grunting. "Night Crawler is going to become an important player in this game the royals appear to be setting up. You too it would appear. Towards the end of my vision the hooded figure in black sat in my throne, his breath cold as he struggled to look for his escape." He let out a small sad laugh. "He was always looking for an escape this shadow. About him, feeding into the room, were fifteen tunnels of light. The figure stood and began to make his way towards the first chamber. But as he did the room was flooded into darkness and sat amongst the floor were several species that dragged him back, pulling him from his escape and drawing him in."

"The first exit lit up into blue fire. Followed by the second and the third and the fourth until finally all of them were glowing blue bar one." He turned to Axel and frowned, his eyes as cold as stone as the eerie silence of the forest rang out, no longer filled with Hayner and Seifer's playful shouts. "Now it is important you understand Axel. This figure was desperate. I have never seen a man writhe and twist in such an effort to be free. The figure shed his cloak and I must admit I failed to gather a glimpse of his face as he headed for the exit, ignoring the breaking people in front of him. Upon his neck bounced a pendant of light, and upon each wrist glowed several others, the knots tied like shackles."

Axel frowned, completely confused as he shook his head and sighed. "What does this have to do with me?"

Pete smiled. "This figure was stopped from escaping by three men, all of them with their hands outstretched. One was a Neko. One was an Ookami. And one was a Raion." He watched as Axel's breath caught a little and nodded. "They would not let the figure pass..."

Pete trailed of and Axel frowned, wanting to know what it all meant. Pushing Pete for an answer, he felt his impatience bite at him. "And? Then what?"

Pete shrugged. "I'm afraid I could not see. The flames were too bright. I am unsure which got to the figure first."

"But…what does it mean? Why are you telling me this?"

Pete laughed and shook his head, smiling as he did so before he turned to Axel and let out a small sigh. "I'm afraid I do not know the answer myself. I only hope you can find out sooner rather than later." He looked over Axel's shoulder and swallowed hard. "I pray you do the right thing Axel."

Before Axel could respond there was the shrill thrumb of a bow releasing before the shrill whistle of the cold wind breaking surged past his ear. Flinching, Axel ducked away from the noise and listened to the sound of steel sinking into skin before the choking grunts began. He listened to the sound of whooping and whistles behind him before the shouts rang out, cheerful and proud. Turning, he watched as Pete's smile was overflown with a ruby river, the arrow in his throat sticking smugly out the other side of his neck as it remained sunk deep into the Buta's windpipe. Axel reached his hand forwards, disbelief forcing him to swallow hard as Pete fell backwards, twitching slightly in the snow before he let out a rasping breath and remained motionless.

Axel dropped down to his knees, ignoring the bite of the cold as he went to pull the arrow from the Buta's throat, unsure of just what was going on before he saw the shadows make their way through the woods, their faces covered by heavy thick furs that masked their scents and were tainted a snowy white. Growling, Axel pulled the sword from his belt, hearing the hiss of steel and watching as the men approached, twirling the blade in his hands and snarling.

The first man approached, charging with a loud war cry as he raised his sword high, the fur on his back bouncing as he ran. Ducking, Axel swept back under the blade, turning under the mans outstretched arm and bringing his sword up in a cold slice across the man's spine, listening to him shriek before he raised his foot and booted him down into the ground. Wasting no time, he turned in time and raised his sword up to catch the chipped axe that aimed to slice down through his neck and cut him to his shoulder. Holding the blade still, grunting at the force as his bruised knuckles protested, he kicked the man away from him, bending low and snatching the sword from Pete's unused sheathe before he swept the blade out, slicing through the man's knees and rolling out of the way of the falling axe.

Jumping up, he slit the throat of a man hollering as he ran at him, ducking beneath another's twin swords before he twirled the pair of swords in his own hands upwards, forcing them up through the man's skull, ripping them out horizontally and grunting at the spray of blood as an eye fell lose and the man sank to his knees before he collapsed. Panting, Axel jumped back out of the way of a cackling woman that aimed to push him back into the embrace of a thickly built man that approached with a club in hand, a skinny man with a lance closing in as the woman cut dangerously close to his throat with a curved blade.

Roaring, Axel brought the sword up to block the woman's attack, bringing his other hand around and hacking through the woman's midriff, before he turned and grabbed the man's descending club in his hand, throwing the man roughly and pushing him in the firing line of the lance, watching as the man was speared by his own comrade before he reached forwards, grabbed the lance, pulled it to him and twisted it, ripping it from the man's grip and watching as the thin man yelped, his Neko ears going back against his head as he crouched in the snow, begging for mercy.

Axel stopped for a brief moment, his chest heaving as he looked down on the Neko. These were Roxas' people, and he would never do anything to hurt the blonde in anyway. But as his anger fuelled him and the rage built up in his heart, the thirst for blood hot on his tongue as Pete's lifeless body spilled red juice out onto the snow behind him, he found his rage blinding, pushing Roxas to the back of his mind as he brought his sword down through the man's head, slicing through to his jaw whilst the man twitched.

Pulling his blade free, Axel listened to the squelch before he was force to turn as six more men approached him, all of them with dirty brown Neko ears as they roared and spat at him through greasy black teeth. Snarling, Axel raced forwards, jumping and flipping over the first man and landing in the centre of the small group. Standing, he felt the fire run through him as he tucked the swords under his arm and brought them back to slice into the back of the man he had jumped over before he ripped them free.

Pushing the left blade up to meet the axe he swept low with the right and spilled the man's guts out onto the snow, ducking under the bronze sword that just missed his hair and rolling away, kicking the feet out of the next Neko and digging his blades down hard through the man's gut, watching him twitch before he brought the blades up with a crunch, standing on the body to ensure it wasn't pulled up with the steel. Turning, he deflected a swipe aimed at his head, moved out of the way of a sideswipe and slashed the throat of a young boy that looked to be no older than Roxas himself. Unable to stop, he brought the blade up to catch the downward slice and turned, catching the other blade as it went to take his legs out from under him and grunting before he pushed hard, the steel twanging together in a sweet symphony as he rolled forwards before he turned and caught the straggler, bringing both swords up in a scissor-like motion and crossing them viciously, watching as the man choked before a plume of blood was born when his head rolled from his shoulders and fell like a lump of coal to the ground.

Breathing hard, he turned back in time to catch the blade aimed at his head, moving in silence all the while and thanking the heavens that the Neko's screamed and shouted every time they went to attack. Grunting, he pushed the steel of his free sword into the man's gut, listening to him choke before he kicked him back of his sword and let him fall into the snow. It was as he stood, his chest heaving over the lifeless frame, that he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt to rid it of some of the sprayed blood and turned, slicing hard across the man that attempted to sneak up on him and letting the blade lodge itself in the side of his neck, watching as the man choked as Pete had done before he sank slowly to his knees and fell forwards.

Swallowing hard, he looked into the trees past where Pete had fallen, spying a man fumbling with a bow as he attempted to run away. Axel smiled. He was never one for doing a job half-heartedly. Raising the spare blade, he twirled it in his hand before he pulled it back, aimed, and threw it forwards; letting it fly. He closed his eyes and let his ears twitch, listening as there was a thick crunch followed by a heavy thud. When he opened his eyes once more, surrounded by the dead and dying bodies that groaned and twitched about him, he turned and looked through the trees, wondering just what had happened and where Hayner and Seifer had gone.

Shaking his head, he swept away some of the blood from his face and made his way towards Pete's fallen frame, halfway towards it before a gruff voice spoke out and a blind buck made its way through the trees, a gruff man sat high atop its back. Axel frowned at the laughter before the man spat on the ground and spoke, jumping down from the buck and stopping beside Pete, looking down on the Buta's closed eyes and smiling at Axel who was still a few feet away.

"You fight pretty well for a Tora." He shrugged and placed his hands on his hips, his cape fluttering slightly behind him in the breeze as he grinned. "But I wouldn't expect any less from a prince." Looking down, he kicked Pete's shoulder with his leather boots lazily and spoke as if he was joking with an old friend rather than reminiscing with a fallen body. "Well now, I told ya I'd git ya for double crossin' me didn't I? Stupid bastard."

"Who the hell are you?!" Axel seethed, gritting his teeth as he pulled the blade free from the man's neck where it had held fast, twirling it between his fingers once more.

The man raised his head and cocked it to the side slightly, curiously, as if he almost found it amusing. Smiling, he stepped forwards and stood in front of Pete, drawing his own sword and popping the muscles in his neck. "Surprised your boyfriend didn't tell ya about me." He laughed at the growl that tore itself from Axel's lips and smirked, pushing his Neko ears back and teasing the redhead with another smug grin. "Aw what's wrong Kitty? Thought Night Crawler had told you all his secrets? Pah!" Spitting on the ground once more, he wiped his mouth as the confused Tora spoke.

"What the hell are you talking about? Roxas told me everything!"

The man raised an eyebrow, staring at Axel with cold eyes and holding his thinning smile. "Oh? So that's his name, is it?" Before Axel could speak he continued in a deep tone. "Night Crawler keeps many things from many people, Tora. He's a damn snake if ever I saw one. Don't worry, as soon as I'm done with your sorry hide he's next."

"What do you want with Roxas?!"

The man shrugged and kicked Pete one more time, watching the irritated Tora twitch and loving it. "Same thing I wanted with him." Looking back up, his eyes sparkled with something akin to destruction and he let out a small laugh. "I tol' ya; I don't like being double crossed. I warned him. The minute that thief walked inta that damn bar I warned him. Told him that if ever a thief tried cutting across me I'd hunt him down and slice him in eight different directions." He huffed and stuck his sword into the ground, leaning on it lazily. "Teenagers never do fucking listen."

Axel frowned, trying to absorb the information and understand just what Roxas would be doing in a tavern with another Neko, much less a dangerous assassin, and coming up fruitless. "I don't…"

"Of course ya don't. Don't ya get it kiddo? He was playin' us. Both of us. Me and you, he took us for suckers." The man pulled the sword from the ground and heaved it over his shoulder, watching Axel's eyes glaze over slowly with confusion. "But I'm here to take care of all that. Soon as I'm done dragging you back to the Neko palace I'm off to catch that bastard hituji in the woods." He pointed out towards the trees with his sword and smiled. "Then I can get me reward and get outta here. After I've got er…what did you say his name was? Roxas, was it? Yeah, after I've got him."

"Why does the Neko King want me?"

The man smiled cockily, looking down at the ground and appearing non-too interested in the subject. "Ah he jus' wants a little chat with ya is all. Quick cup of tea an' he'll push you in the right direction home. So, what do ya say?" He held his left hand out, the leather glove creaking slightly as the bodies leaked out about them. His hand stayed there for a few moments, stoic in the air, and as it did Axel's gaze only hardened into a death glare as his grip on the blade tightened.

The man retracted his hand and placed it on his hip, letting a grunt escape him as he smiled. "Stubborn little thing aint ya? No wonder that damn Neko likes ya; you an' him are practically peas in a pod." He laughed at his own joke.

Axel frowned, another thought coming to him as he stared at the laughing Neko before him and cut through the silence, his hand still tight around the blade as he waited with baited breath. "You never told me who you are! Why are you doing this? I mean," he looked down at the bodies before he growled and snapped his gaze back up, "why would you do this to your own people?"

The man grunted, his sword still leaning heavily over his shoulder as he smiled. "Clever Kitty aint ya? Full of questions. Well Tora, me names Marshal." His grin flashed his teeth. "These," he scattered his hand across the fallen bodies and let his smile slip. "These aint my people. They're not anybody's. They were just desperate fools who wanted to earn a couple of silver pieces to get their supper with. Maybe a gallon of mead too. Shame you had to cut 'em all open." His smile was back again and he looked the Tora up and down. "Not too sure what the poor lil prince is gonna say about that when he finds out. Then again, maybe the other two will get there first. Then he won't have ta deal with ya."

Axel stopped and straightened up slightly, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Wait…you know who Roxas and the others are?"

Marshal looked at Axel as if he was dumb, frowning at the Tora for the first time. "Course I know who they are. It aint fucking rocket science lad. Night Crawler used to work for me. It was only natural I knew who him and his family were." He stopped and itched the side of his head, his frown slipping as the blind buck behind him pawed at the ground. "Thing is, the Neko King aint to happy with him cuz of you."

"Me? What the hell did I-"

"What didn't ya do?" Marshal asked, laughing again as he lowered his hand and sighed. "That little runt was doin' alright 'til you stuck ya nose in. Now him an' his whole family gotta be taken back to the Neko Kingdom."

"Well if you know who they are why don't you defend them? You can stop all this!"

Marshal's smile faded. "No, can't have that kitty. I've got too much relyin' on that Neko's head. And so have you." At Axel's confused face he elaborated. "There's a certain princess who's just dying to be held in your arms."

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes." Marshal laughed when Axel flinched and smirked. "I've gotta take you back to her."

Axel growled, his eyes suddenly alight as he bent his knees into a ready stance and seethed. "There is no way you're taking me anywhere, especially not back to Larxene!"

Marshal shrugged, brushing Axel's anger away as if it were the wind. "Fine, suit yourself. Just a bit of fair warning to ya, I know where that little prince of yours is, and unless you come back with me right now I can guarantee you there's a fleet of over two hundred ships waiting in the Raion harbour for the command to move down south and blow his little hiding spot into smithereens." He shrugged once more and smiled. "It's your call. You can come with me back to the Neko Kingdom quietly, I can drag you there, or you can run away and I'll blow you and Night Crawler up and drag both of you back in pieces."

Axel swallowed hard. If Marshal's threats were true then he really wouldn't stand a chance against all those fleets, and neither would Roxas or the Buta Kingdom, not in their current state. Sighing, Axel folded his ears back and let his sword drop to the ground, listening to it clank loudly as he looked down at the floor. A question occurred to him and he whispered it out, his voice full of suppressed rage. "Why do you want Roxas anyway? If you have me, and I tell Roxas to stay away, what harm could he ever do you?"

Marshal smiled, his voice almost uncertain as he spoke. "Kitten, you have no idea about the kind of games you've been playing with. See that pretty necklace around your throat?" He watched as Axel looked down at the glowing red gem before he looked back up. "It's got more power in it than you'll ever know. Now, a little birdie told me that Sephiroth is starting his own unique collection. What with him having three pieces of the puzzle now and the Neko King having four, the game is on. You have a piece, the Raion's have a piece. There's two more pieces for the Neko King…" His smile faded and disappeared completely as Axel's eyes widened in shock and fear at the recognition of just what was going to happen. "That leaves five pieces left. The Kuma have one…the Uma have one…the Nezumi have one… the Ushi have one…" He stopped and leaned on his sword once more, his ears twitching slightly. "All of the royal family's get given one piece, and Pete," he looked down at the fallen body and shook his head, his voice troubled. "Well, he doesn't seem ta have his on him, and he aint got no heir to his throne. Tell me Tora, with two pieces of the puzzle still left unaccounted for, why do you think everyone's after this Neko so bad?"

Axel frowned, his gaze falling to Pete's lifeless frame as Marshal shuffled in his saddle bag and pulled out a pair of iron shackles, walking over to the Tora slowly, his feet crunching against the soft snow. Axel's hands were pulled roughly forward and the steel was placed about his wrists tightly, the heavy metal links dragging his arms down as he spoke. "You think Roxas….?"

Marshal shrugged and hooked a long thing line of metal links to Axel's chains before he tied them to a small metal hoop on the buck's saddle, pulling it hard and making sure it was tight before he mounted the creatures back and let it adjust to his weight. "No, I'm not sayin' anything." He turned to look down on Axel and let a grimace come to his face. "I'm gonna tell ya somethin' Tora, and you're not gonna breath a word of it to anyone, got it?" When Axel stayed silent he patted his beast's side and spoke in a small whisper.

"I know who these three Neko's are, and I know exactly what the Neko King hopes to do." He frowned and shook his head, nudging his buck lightly in the side to force it forwards. "I'm glad you made the right choice, Tora. It would have been a shame if I had to bring that Neko back today. What with the rebellions an' all."

"There've been rebellions in the Neko Kingdom?"

"Aye. Plenty of 'em too. I aint a part of 'em, and I'm not the ones who've been sent to deal with it either. But I'll guarantee ya, if one of them Neko's gets caught by the King they'll be hanged before the entire city as an example. An' the King won't be makin' the same mistake as that brother of yours neither. Now, this rebellion, their leader aint stayin' in the city." He smiled and made his way through the trees, dragging Axel along behind him. "They're fighting for the real heirs to the throne, and they're making their way down south were a rumours been hanging through the forest."

Axel trudged along beside the buck and sighed, giving Pete's lifeless corpse one last sorrowful glance before he pressed ahead. "Why don't you join them?"

"I plan too." He laughed at the Tora's surprised grin. "Just not yet. I've still got someone very important to me that I have to get out of that damn castle. Then me an' Night Crawler have a score to settle. After that I'm gonna think about helping him and these other two Neko's out." He smiled and tapped his head, one hand still gripping the reins lightly. "I've got it all figured out."

Axel smiled and let out a small laugh, his voice deep and foreboding as he smirked at the Neko that looked down on him quizzically, his eyes alight with emerald fire.

"What's so damn funny?"

"Nothing. But maybe I should give you a fair warning the same way you did me." He turned to Marshal, his ears back and his laughter gone as he smiled heartlessly. "If you, or anyone else for that matter, so much as touches Night Crawler, I'll make sure you'll be on your knees and begging for your life before so much as a second's passed."

Marshal laughed and shook his head, the stubble on his chin glinting in the light as he snuffed and shifted in the saddle. "I'm glad ta hear it, Tora. We'll be needin' men like you on our side when time finally comes for us ta turn this war around. If it ever does come that is..." He trailed of and a silence settled between them.

From between the trees at the other end of the mass slaughter, Seifer waited with baited breath, his back to a large oak as he closed his eyes tight and listened to the two men talk before he listened to the sound of fading footsteps. Hayner was held in his hands, Seifer forcing his mouth closed with his left hand as he grabbed him close with the other and prevented him from moving, restraining him forcefully. He hadn't wanted too, but as the young Inu had turned to join into the fight with the Tora he had caught a glimpse of Marshal through the trees and pulled the young blonde back. Marshal may let Axel of the hook, but Seifer's head was wanted, and with Hayner still having no title and weight behind his name he had been forced to draw the kid back and listen as the Tora went insane on his death stunt and chopped apart the flesh of everyone in the close vicinity.

Pushing his ears up, Seifer strained his ears hard, listening for all he was worth and letting his shoulders slump when there was finally no more footsteps. Carefully and ever so slowly he let Hayner go, watching as the male pulled away hard, gasping for breath before he turned to him with betrayed eyes.

"What the hell?!" Hayner clenched his fists, his voice demanding as he looked at the shuddering Hitsuji and seethed. "What are you playing at? We could have helped them!" Not waiting for an answer, Hayner ran from behind the tree and out into the open, skidding in the snow and dropping to his knees as he landed beside Pete and raised the Buta's head of the ground. Closing his eyes, he gently placed the Buta back around and turned, a vicious venom in his eyes as he caught sight of the Hitsuji that shuffled wearily out of the safety of the trees shadows and into the clearing, looking down at the soft pink snow as he walked with shame filled eyes.

"Why?" Hayner spat, looking down at the chaos and growling when Seifer's eyes failed to meet his own. Shouting louder, he demanded an answer. "Why, Seifer?!"

Seifer itched the back of his head and stopped walking, looking at the massacre and sighing, his eyes trained on Pete for a split second before they shot up to Hayner and back down to the ground once more. "You don't understand-"

"What's there to understand? You stopped me from helping them-"

"You really think Axel needed help?" Seifer barked, cutting Hayner of and rolling his eyes as the younger male stepped back some. "Look about you Inu, look at what he did. We were too late to help Pete, and it could just as easily have been our throats what got slit back there!"

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do." He stopped, his shoulders heaving with every strangled breath he took. "Know how? Because he's a damn Tora. Bastard tigers would cut you up just as soon as look at ya. An' Marshal…" He stopped, wavered, and let out a sarcastic laugh. "You really think you could have stopped him? Man, I've seen what that guy can do. What he has done." His eyes turned dark and he growled, stepping forwards and standing stiff in the snow, refusing to budge. "There's a reason Axel wouldn't fight him, Hayner."

"Axel didn't fight him for Roxas…" Hayner whispered, his knees bending slightly as he stood over Pete's lifeless frame and glared at the Hitsuji. "And if Roxas trusts him then so do I-"

"Then you're a damn fool. Axel didn't leave for anybody. He left because it suited him. Marshal's gonna take him to the Neko King where he's gonna get hitched to that Raion princess and go live happily ever after. You really think he's gonna need an army when he's got the Raion royal fleet and the Neko soldiers covering his back? That kingdom of Reno's is practically his now." He stopped and straightened up. "This war has started Hayner. I think you should choose which side you're on. The Neko King is drawing the Tora's and the Raion's to him and soon the wolves will be there too. It won't be long before this war is over." He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Don't pick the losing side, Hayner. You can't win-"

"You don't know anything." Hayner snarled, making his way forward and growling. "You think you do, but you don't! Axel won't join the Neko King because he's a fake. You heard that dude yourself, there's rebellions everywhere. And they're coming south. Why are they coming south? Because that's where Roxas is. And as soon as Cloud is done getting his brother, they're gonna come south too. Don't tell me to pick a side Seifer. I picked a long damn time ago."

Seifer stopped. The silence settled thickly before he spoke, a deep sigh on the edge of his lips as he folded his ears back and deflated a little at the strong resistant Inu in front of him. "Fine. You know what? Fine. Just fine. You go off to find your damn Neko's, but don't you ever say I didn't warn ya." He looked to Pete's frame and felt a deep foreboding hatred for himself settle in his heart. "I want more out of my life than just war and death. The Neko King has won this war. No princes are gonna come and kick him of his throne, you can be sure of that. I'll bury Pete… that should give you enough time to make it to the Buta Kingdom before I head of home and the Hitsuji come rainin' down on ya."

Hayner nodded, walking past Seifer slowly and picking up a stray sword on his way, wiping the blood on the snow and watching it turn a rosy red. As he made it to the trees he stopped and listened, never turning back as Seifer spoke once more.

"Tell NC I'll be rootin' for him. An', yano, if he ever needs any help with anythin', I know some pretty powerful people down in the south." Seifer shrugged, sitting in the snow beside Pete's body and clasping his hands together under his chin. "Just a thought."

"I'll make sure he knows….. So much for picking sides, huh?"

Seifer grinned and shook his head. "There aint no sides in war, mate. Just blood and death. Let's jus' hope one of these bastard royal's know what they're doin' before we all end up like him." He nudged Pete with his toe and folded his head into his lap, listening to Hayner's footsteps trail of into the distance before they disappeared altogether.

Through the mist the boat swam, her deck rife with running soldiers that shouted over the side and pulled hard on her ropes, acting like true men of the sea as they caressed the lady that carried them and mopped her wooden decks until she sparkled. Up above the deck the captain stood at the bow, squinting through the thick mist and cursing it to Hell and back as the watchmen above him shouted down about giant rocks that floated like purposely sent missiles, begging them to bump ship so they could drag them down to the cold waters finer edge.

Below deck sat huddled about the battered cage of a lantern whilst the flame shuddered and shook with the rocking of the ship was Cloud. Staring at the flame, he welcomed the darkness that cast its shadows in the forgotten corners of the room and placed his hand on his chin, thinking hard about everything that had happened. Roxas had left before he had the chance to say goodbye or even ask what his deal had been, and before he could question it he had been forced aboard a ship by a pushy Leon and a laughing Cid that had been unmistakably drunk in the small dimly lit hours of the morning. Now though, the Inu laid in one of the many reeking hammocks, his hand cuddled lavishly about a thick bulging bag of money as he snored and fought the world in his dreams.

Smiling, Cloud ignored the Inu and turned his attention to Yuffie. The young woman was sprawled out on her back in a similar fashion to Cid on the bunk above him, her wings dangling lazily over the side of the makeshift bed where they prominently tickled Cid's nose and forced him to kick up a fuss and bat them forcefully away. Only to have them return mere moments later. Cloud himself was not in one of the many hammocks, but was instead sat atop one of the few crates that adorned the forged room, lining up a small copper coin and watching it roll from one end of their makeshift table to the other before he would catch it and begin the process once more.

He hadn't been on a ship before, and the swaying constantly turned and churned his stomach, making it virtually impossible for him to keep down any food and leading to frequent visits to the deck where he would spew his guts up over the side and return green to the laughing face of a smug Cid and the smiling eyes of Yuffie. From then on he had stuck to the bottled water and nothing else. With no food and no way of knowing if either of his little brothers were safe, Cloud had sunk into a deep rotten mood and was purposefully brooding, catching the coin and slipping it back into place as it tried to run away once more.

"You keep doing that and you're going to burn a hole in the crate."

Turning, Cloud spied Leon make his way towards him, the gold in his feathers catching the light of the candle as he pulled their patched curtain to (it was mostly just an old bedding sheet thrown over a tied piece of rope to keep the other sailors out). Cloud grunted, catching the coin without watching and placing it back at its starting position. Leon smiled slightly and walked around the moody blonde, sitting opposite him and fluttering his wings some as he leaned back, his smile disappearing and his frown returning as he folded his arms and listened to the rolling shout of the bronze coin. "It's getting colder outside."

He was met with another grunt and Cid's snores before he opened his eyes and spoke. "You still worried about them?" He hadn't told Cloud just how exactly Roxas had left, and he hadn't told the others either. The last thing he wanted was to face a journey with two sullen companions and an enraged Neko.

"No. I'm worried about Sora. Roxas'll be fine."

Leon nodded, leaning back against the wood of the boat and fluttering his wings slightly to warm them up. "Sound logic. Any clue as to where you got it from?"

Cloud frowned, his eyes closed as he caught the coin once more and held it in his palm, squeezing it tight as he spoke. "You have any idea how many times that kids been in trouble, Leon?"

Leon let a rough smile come to his lips. "Nope, why don't you surprise me?"

Cloud let the faint wisp of a grin reach his lips before he rubbed it away fiercely with the back of his hand. "I wish I could, but he's been in it too many times to count. I've got a friend back in the city who used to keep an eye on him for me. You know," he twitched his ears and folded them back against his head, staring at the flames and sighing. "Because of who we are. He kept him out of trouble and made sure only the good guards got their hands on him. The ones on our side."

Leon frowned and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he lowered his voice to a whisper to prevent them being overheard by any straggling crew member on the other side of the curtain. "So you knew who you were all along?" He shook his head and laughed. "Should have known."

"Of course I know who we are." Cloud mumbled, releasing the coin and watching it roll once more before he snatched it up and twirled it between his fingers. "People always acted differently around me and my mother. Made sure we had as much as they could give us, which wasn't exactly a lot, but it was enough. As soon as she and my father passed and the twins were born things got strange."

"Strange?"

"Mm." He stopped for a moment and looked up at Leon, thinking for a moment before he spoke. "The day my parents died I got a job working down in the mines. I used to work in a smith beforehand, but I had to give it up. I couldn't juggle taking care of the twins and keeping my job. Which is when I met him."

Leon raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Him?"

Cloud let a true smile come to his lips and nodded. "Yep, my friend who used to keep an eye on them for me when I was working. He worked nights and I worked days. Together we managed them for a while. I'd take the night shift, he'd take the day shift."

"…And this friend just offered to help you out?"

"No, but I helped him out once. Saved his skin and took a beating from the local captain…." He looked up at Leon's confused face and shook his head. "I'm not telling his story. That's his journey." When Leon nodded he continued. "I used to come home on a night to find my friend had been run bow legged by the twins. Sora wasn't much trouble, he was always with this kid called Riku." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "No matter how many times I told him to stay away I could guarantee that when I made it home that night Sora would be out with Riku and my friend would be coming back with Roxas from the local courthouse."

Leon smiled. "Sounds like you had a pretty wild thing going. Bet it was risky; you and your brothers leaving the house and what not. Because of your colourings I mean."

Cloud leaned back, his hand still subconsciously playing with the coin. "You'd think so, but like I said, we had people on our side." At Leon's raised eyebrow Cloud rolled his eyes and pretended to draw a circle on one of the spare crates next to him, cutting it into three pieces and pointing to the first and largest piece.

"In the Neko Kingdom, there are three kinds of people. There's the guards and the trained nights, the courts and the prisons, the nobles and owners of land." He tapped the imaginary large piece and frowned. "We call 'em Faults, because they're loyal to the Neko King. You can tell a Fault a mile of. He looks down on others like they're nothing, always taking things that aren't his and riding about with a bag full of coins. But they always travel in packs. Gotta watch out for that."

Moving his hand across to the next imaginary slice, he tapped it twice and smiled. "Then there's us. There's me, my friend, my brothers, farmers, market traders, travellers, miners…just your average workers really. There's not many of us compared to the Fault's, but we're smarter than they put us down for. We've got men inside every single Fault operation. Or we did have anyway…I dunno if it's still running after I had to leave."

From the opposite side of the room an interested Leon frowned. "Why wouldn't it still be running?"

Well…just before the outbreak of the toll me and my friend were going to sign up for front line duty. I got placed in the castle under lockdown because of Roxas…I'm not sure what happened to my friend after that, and he was the main driver behind the operation." He shrugged. "With a little luck he'll still be okay."

Leon nodded slowly and leaned in once more. "So what did they call you? It wasn't some cliché like the freedom fighters, right?"

Cloud smiled a little at the joke but shook his head all the same. "No, you have any idea how much trouble you'd be in if you were overheard by a Fault talking about going to see the freedom fighters?" He let out a small laugh. "Nope. We used to call ourselves The Network, and every operator of The Network had a different code. That way, if you ever wanted to swap anything on the black market or get your hands inside a Fault operation you could come back out of it with a clear name."

Leon smiled and laughed a little, making sure to keep his voice low to avoid waking the others. "I have to admit, that's pretty clever. So what were your names?"

"I was Light." He looked up at his hair and brushed a stray strand away from his face. "For obvious reasons. Sora was sky, my friend was Shade, and Roxas was Merko."

Leon laughed and raised an eyebrow once more. "Merko? What happened to Night Crawler?"

Cloud rubbed the back of his head and offered a sheepish grin. "Yeah, he didn't like it too much either. As for Night Crawler…he was a real pain in the Fault's side. Everyone knew he lived under the rules of The Network; each as one, but nobody knew who he was until the toll…" He stopped and looked down at the ground, abandoning his drawing for a brief moment as he frowned. "I never thought it could have been Roxas… I just thought that when he went to bed, that he actually went to bed. I didn't think he was out causing trouble." He closed his eyes and growled. "I swear, when this is over him and Sora have some damn explaining to do."

Leon looked back to the crate where Cloud's pretend drawing was and scowled. "So, if The Network and the Fault's were all of you guy's, just who the heck is the third piece? Some kind of hybrid species?"

Opening his eyes, Cloud looked confused for a moment before he spoke. "No, the Neko King culls all the hybrids in his land. Something about purity…" He looked over to the crate before he turned back to the hungry flame in the battered cage. "The last group we called the Fade." His voice turned dark and he folded his arms, the coin squeezed tight in his fist. "Nobody ever goes into Fade territory. They all operate underground, but they have leaks within the Fault and The Network. It made things difficult to operate. There's not really a lot to say about them, just that they're the darker side to our city. Thieves, bandits, murderers, gangs, torturers, rapists, dodgy dealers and psychopaths…" He trailed of. "I'm not sure who they work for, but I know that whenever an operator of the Fade sets out to get ya, whether you're with the Faults or The Network, you can bet your damn arse you're gonna be dead within the night."

Leon leaned back, his eyes slightly narrowed as he ruffled his wings and twitched his nose. "Sounds like this city of yours is complicated."

Cloud nodded slowly. "I guess…but it's the only way to survive in there. People just look for ways to get by. That's all."

"Funny, I've never heard nothing happen like that in any other city."

"You won't. Every other city isn't getting brought to its knees by its own successor. I'm not dumb, I know there's rebellions in lots of different Kingdom's, but in ours…" He sighed, let his shoulders slump and placed the coin on the table gently. "If The Network rises the Fault's will come against us, and if the Neko King buy's out the Fade's we'd be outnumbered four to one. And if the Fade's join our side I'll guarantee you there'd be a price. The Kingdom's already bankrupt…The Network's got nothing to rebel for anymore. No money, no righteous laws, no us." He stopped and rubbed his arms. "I know it sounds self-centred, but the Neko people looked after my family for so long for a reason. We were hope. All the while the Neko King couldn't find us we were something they could hold onto to protect who they were. But now we're gone I've got a feeling things are only going to get worse…"

Leon watched as the Neko sunk his head low and picked the coin up, placing it upright and watching it roll away before he caught it once more. "You know what Cloud, I think you'd make a fair ruler and a great king." He caught Cloud's smile and returned it, watching as the blonde went to speak before there was a thundering echoing boom about them followed by a crash that knocked both Cid and Yuffie from their sleep, Yuffie falling on top of the grouchy Inu that huffed and pushed her away from him.

Another crash rang out and above them the sound of screams echoed down the watery steps as the crew ran about and shouted to each other relentlessly. Cloud had been knocked from his seat from the shock, the coin still locked in his hand as he looked to Leon, watching as the Tori prince landed gracefully from where he had previously been hovering a mere few feet from the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" Cid yelled gruffly, wobbling to his feet with his arms outstretched as another crash rocked them and the wood screeched. Forgetting his bag of gold, he caught an unstable Yuffie as she fell forwards, pulling her back and holding her tight as another rocking motion began.

"Sounds like something hit the ship!" Cloud growled, his legs bent as he attempted to remain upright before he pulled the curtain back and stomped forwards, his eyes set on the stairs in front of him as above the sounds quieted slightly.

"Where are you going?!" Leon shouted, following the blonde with confident strides as the other two wobbled along behind, trying to keep up with the fast paced Neko and Tori.

Ignoring Leon's shouts, Cloud jumped up the steps two at a time, leaning heavily against the wall and hissing when he knocked his shoulder hard against a sticking out piece of wood, rubbing his sore shoulder gently as he kicked the door to the deck wide open. He was about to storm out and snarl at the captain for being a clumsy oaf and bumping into another crater or berg that his poor stomach couldn't handle, but the scene he was met with was very very different.

The mist was still there, clogging the air thickly as it suffocated sailors on all sides of him. But it wasn't a berg the ship had hit. Rather a fleet of thirty mean looking war ships that were making their way back from the Tori islands. Two ships lay locked beside their vessel, both with rungs strung along the side as a continuous flow of wolves and demonic misfits boarded the ship, trapping them within a sea of unmoving wooden planks. The crew were being disposed of raggedly, men being thrown aside with shrieks and begs for mercy on all sides before they were thrown into the icy waters depths below.

Cloud had little time to think before he was pushed gently to a side by Leon, the Tori prince standing tall on the ship and watching as the captain was taken hostage, the Ushi the only remaining member of his crew as he was tied to the mast of his ship with thick wooden ropes, a gag forced roughly into his mouth. Leon took one look at the wreck before a swipe of men made their way towards him, their thick bodied shoulders and wolf ears drawn back. With no weapons of any kind, Leon was about to raise his fist, watching as Cloud mimicked the action whilst a shocked Yuffie and Cid appeared behind before a booming shout rang out.

"STOP!"

Immediately the onslaught stopped, the men no longer running at them as they turned to face the calm smiling silver haired man who slowly glided towards them, his hand resting on a thick sword at his waist as he smiled at them. Leon frowned, a snarl on the edge of his lips as he watched the man make his way towards them.

"Sephiroth? What the hell are you doing here?! Scum like you belongs on the Forgotten Isles!"

Sephiroth laughed, his gaze cold and cruel as he pushed one of his soldiers out of the way and approached with a bay of grunting black beasts at his back. "Come now Leon, surely that's no way to speak about the new King of your people."

Leon's voice came out as a whisper, but the force and power behind it could have dwarfed any roar. "What crap are you spitting out now, dog?! Let us go or-"

"Or you'll what? I have over thirty vessels at my disposal, and more men than you can count." He smiled at Leon's hiss and stopped a few feet in front of them. "That little rock you had was nice. Shame I had to take it from you. Of course, weakling that you are, you left it in such a poor state."

Leon frowned, unsure of what exactly was going on. But before he had a chance to spit out his answer with an insult Sephiroth raised his fingers and snapped them against the bracing wind. The click echoed faintly and a pair of thick and heavily armoured wolves appeared from the back of the ship, marching their way forwards with a slumped woman in their arms. A woman Leon recognised faintly.

She was broken and chained, blood down one side of her bruised face as the clotted hair stayed tussled like a birds nest. Her eyes were defeated, her chest covered in scratches as the ripped clothes showed more flesh than any woman would have desired when surrounded by a bedded nest of sailors. But what broke Leon, what truly cut into him like a knife down his back, was the clipped wings that lay crumpled and useless by the woman's side. Slowly, and with a great pain, Tifa spoke through cracked lips, her voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry Leon…I held them of for as long as I could."

She was broken off as Sephiroth raised a fist, angered when Tifa refused to flinch before he brought it down hard across her face, sending her to the deck with a yelp and a hiss. No sooner had the blow landed, the grin set solid on Sephorpth's face, than it was wiped of as Leon raced forwards, ducked low and charged at him, hitting him strong in the stomach and sending him flying to the floor. Landing on top of him, Leon held the man down strongly, raised his own fist high and brought it down with a lightning quick crack across the man's face, listening to the jaw snap loudly before a set of grabbing hands pulled him back forcefully, dragging him away and holding him tight.

The blade slipped from Sephiroth's hands and he raised up onto his elbows slightly, cracking his jaw back in place and holding back a cursed shout as Leon trained his blood filled eyes on the man before him, his temper flaring as he struggled hard in the arms of the three men that held him back.

"You'll pay for that Tori." He reached down and grabbed his sword, commanding his men harshly. "Pull his wings out. Let's see if he'll still be a Tori when I cut the bastards of!" Tifa was dragged away, her screams going unheard as Leon's wings were stretched outwards against his will, his arms held tightly against his back as he was thrown down onto his knees and Sephiroth stalked forwards. Behind him Cloud was pulled to a corner, his own hands held somewhat loosely as he watched the young princess on the floor in confusion, ignoring Cid's gruff grunts as he went to punch a guard and was immediately thrown to the deck and held there by two strong demons. Yuffie too was held back, one thick muscled Ookami soldier doing the job as he laughed at her struggles and placed a hand over her mouth, shushing her delicately and sickeningly as he whispered against her hair.

Cloud continued to watch the princess before him, his eyes completely confused. He was supposed to meet Sora on the Tori Island…but the princess was here and the mad Ookami was claiming to be the new ruler… Refusing to believe what it could mean, Cloud snapped his attention back to the approaching wolf leader and growled.

Turning to the right, he saw the sword in the soldier's belt, saw the opportunity, and took it. Reaching back he twisted in the soldier's arms, turning to face the surprised guard and smiling before he pulled back, closed his eyes, and head butted him across the bridge of his nose. The man went down, wailing and screaming as a fountain of burst tendon came forth before Cloud kicked him away from him, turning and grabbing the sword from the unsuspecting bystanders sheathe and pulling it free, bringing it down hard across the man's jaw and listening to it crack before he turned in time to catch Sephiroth raising the blade high.

Jumping a series of fallen rope, Cloud skidded across the watery deck, booting the guard that held Leon from behind in the back of the neck, watching him spasm on the floor before he grabbed the Tori by the scruff of his neck and wrenched him back, dragging him out of the unsuspecting guards arms and throwing him behind him before he raised the blade high, tilting it on a side and reinforcing the sword with his hand as the ring of steel kissing steel broke free. Grunting, he felt his feet slip before Sephiroth roared and pulled his sword back, watching Cloud pant as he sized the Neko up and down before his eyes widened when they caught sight of the white fur of his ears.

"You…" Sephiroth stopped and smiled, laughing lazily before he squinted one eye in a puzzled fashion and twirled his sword, watching as a demon slowly made his way up behind the panting Neko quietly. "You could be quite useful to me…"

Before Cloud had time to question it he felt a burning pain land in the back of his head. His eyesight jogged and skipped, starting like a long forgotten memory in black and white before he slowly sank unwillingly to the back of his knees, the sword slipping from his grasp. The laughter rang out lazily in his head, the man before him turning into three as they created a chorus of cackling giggles together. Raising his hand up tentatively, Cloud shuddered at the feeling of a dint beneath his fingers before he slowly fell forwards onto all fours. He was about to get up, one foot braced to stand behind him as he used the last burst of his energy, but as he did a boot weighed down hard on his back, pushing his front down against the swamped misty deck where the last thing Cloud saw before the darkness took him was the horrified face of the young Tori princess and the pinging laugh of the run away coin that rolled leisurely down the wood.

Long chapter, I know :)

Okay, this has a lot of information in it. If anyone gets confused let me know and I'll explain, particularly between Marshal and Axel. Anyway, I have a proposition for you, this is over 10,000 words long and has three points of view. I can keep doing my chapters like this or I can break them down into smaller more manageable chunks e.g. 3-4,000 words for one pov. What do you think? Chapters will be smaller but updates will remain fast.

Guest - sorry to hear you're even more depressed :( This chapter won't help much, but maybe a promise of a happier chapter next will? That is the dream, having Cloud and Tifa kill Sephiroth lol jk. *hearts back* :) 'til next time XD